The extraordinary efforts of the Gillard Labor Government to hide Greens policy costings from the public are starting to unravel.

For the best part of six months, the Government has fought tooth and nail to stop these costings being released under Freedom of Information laws, citing largely Cabinet confidentiality.

The Coalition has been raising concern with the Government’s use of Cabinet confidentiality to hide Greens policy costings for some time.

Now it appears the Information Commissioner is concerned as well.

As reported in The Australian today, the Information Commissioner has requested copies of a number of documents which Treasury claim to be Cabinet related, so he can see for himself whether in fact this section of the Act has been correctly applied in this instance.

The fact that Labor continue to hide Greens policy costings is baffling.

On numerous occasions, Treasury costings of Coalition policies have been leaked to the media, costings the Coalition did not even ask for. Yet, for some reason, Greens policy costings remain locked up like gold in Fort Knox.

The Prime Minister said herself in November last year: “I actually think the Australian people are entitled to know what the policies of every political party (are) and what they would cost.”

If she truly believed her own words, these documents would be released.

What is the Labor Party trying to hide from the Australian public?

Before the last election, the Labor Party told the Australian public that there wouldn’t be a carbon tax. However, the Greens said there would be and now we have a carbon tax. What other new taxes are the Greens proposing that Labor doesn’t want the Australian public to know about?

If Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan want to be upfront with the Australia people, they will release these costings today.